


That Which Haunts Our Fragile Hearts

by theartofbeinganerd



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: But it's mostly angsty, Emotional Trauma, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, but there's fluff!, kinda angsty, post 4x15
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 10:29:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9890195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theartofbeinganerd/pseuds/theartofbeinganerd
Summary: When the dust has settled, the day may have been saved and they may have made it out alive, but none of that stops the nightmares.Aka Jemma's trauma is likely going to be ignored yet again, so here's my take on how she might be affected by this most recent bout of emotional baggage*Set sometime post 4x15





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just a super short little bit of speculation I wrote amid my near constant theorizing and fantasizing about what'll happen with the Framework and rescuing the team, because I'm as equally interested in the after and how it'll all affect both Fitzsimmons and Jemma specifically. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

 

She bursts awake, unable to breathe with her heart beating so fast she's afraid it'll explode right out of her ribcage. Her face is soaked, but she's not sure if it's from the tears burning her eyes or the sweat beading all over her skin. However, none of that matters, because the only thing she cares about is searching frantically through the thick darkness, hands wildly groping the blankets for –

_Thank god_.

Her fingertips connect with warm, firm yet yielding flesh, and she releases a heavy, shuddering breath as her palm settles on his shoulder. Careful to keep her touch gentle enough not to wake him, she trails her fingers up and around to stroke the tender, unbroken (oh _thank god_ it's unbroken) skin of his neck.

She can't help the way her shoulders sag and her head drops in pure relief to find that, once more, she is utterly fortunate to wake from the same nightmare – the one where it hadn't truly been a decoy that she'd so savagely stabbed in the neck, the one that _haunts_ her – to find that he's wonderfully alive and in one piece beneath her touch. It's been weeks now, months, and yet the fear hasn't even begun to recede and she's terrified that it never will. She's terrified that she'll always have that image of him, lifeless and bloody and it’s all at her hand, right at the back of mind just waiting to creep to the forefront and ruin any chance she has at being happy.

She absolutely _hates_ this, especially because she has more reason now than she ever has to be utterly content with her life, to be filled with pure joy and happiness.

Her eyes dart of their own accord to find her other hand, still clutching the now crumpled sheets in her loose fist. There's a sparkle to that hand that even the darkness can't quite hide, and her heart jumps at the sight, much like it does every time, and a tiny smile twitches at her lips.

But the _memories_ , they threaten to drown her, to pull her under and fill her up until her lungs are burning and she can't take a breath.

"Jemma?"

She sucks in a quiet, sharp gasp at Fitz's sleep-roughed voice cutting through the still night air, tenses as he shifts, lifting her hand gently from his neck and instead to his lips so that he can plant kisses on her shaking fingers. "I…I didn't mean to wake you," she finally manages to choke out, because she hates to bother him with her silly fears, but she can't help the wave of relief she feels now that he's awake, that he's speaking to her and stroking her skin and so beautifully _alive_.

He gives a soft groan, shaking his head slightly as he reminds her for the umpteenth time, "I told you to wake me up when you have the nightmares, Jemma. You don't need to suffer through this alone. We're in this together, yeah? Always." His free hand finds hers, carefully prying it from the sheets and tangling their fingers together instead, his thumb idly playing with the ring adorning her third finger.

Her heart surges at his words, but she bites her lip and gives a short shake of her head. "I _always_ have the nightmares," she whispers, only able to make the admission in the darkness of night, where she doesn't have to see the pain and the guilt that will contort his beloved features (but it only hurts just a tad less, because even if she doesn't see it she still knows that it's there and he doesn't deserve it).

"Oh _Jemma_." He releases her hands, and she tamps down on the immediate panic that bursts inside her chest every time his touch disappears as he pushes himself into a sitting position. She hears the mattress creak as he shifts closer, his warm and achingly familiar arms sliding around her, tugging her to rest against his chest. He lovingly brushes his fingers through her hair, periodically dropping kisses against the top of her head, along her hairline, to her forehead as her tears begin to dry. "We'll figure this out, okay? I promise you, we'll figure it all out. And no matter what, I'm here and nothing is going to change that."

Even though Jemma's constantly panicked thoughts tell her otherwise, she knows in her heart that she can believe him, can trust him, even when she can't trust anyone else. Maybe things will never quite be the same again, maybe they'll be forced to redefine normal yet again, maybe she'll spend the rest of her life waking up in a cold sweat and with a burning need to confirm that Fitz is alive and unharmed, but if there is one thing she knows without a shadow of a doubt, it is that Fitz will be beside her throughout it all.

After all, they belong together. In the end, it's truly as simple as that.

 


End file.
